Artist: Yama Uba
Title: Silhouettes
Genre: Post Punk / Goth / Dark Wave
Release Date: 24th January 2024
Label: Psychic Eye / Ratskin Records
Album Review
YAMA UBA formed in 2017 and are based in Oakland California. The band is a collaboration between OTZI members Akiko Samson and Winter Zora although Winter Zora joined two years later. Samson also founded the Post Punk band OTZI whilst Zora founded and led the Death Rock band MYSTIC PRIESTESS, of which I’ve never heard of until now. To date they have released three singles (‘Phantom World’ / ‘Disappear’ / ‘Shatter’), an EP called ‘Laura/Isolation’ and a remix of ‘Shatter’ by CULT OF ALIA. Since forming they have also toured extensively across the US and Japan. ‘Silhouette’ is their first full length so let’s dive right in and see what it’s all about, eh?
‘Disappear’ opens proceedings with a punched drum beat. Bendy and urgent bass pushes you along whilst the vocal entices with the allure of a Teutonic SIOUXIE SIOUX. ‘Shapes’ waltzes through with sharp snaps of the snare, guitar trills, shouts exclaimed pointedly along with softly sung passages and a longing saxophone. Things are slowed down on ‘Shatter’. This gyrates at a slower pace but with the word “shatter” spat out. Although the words are enunciated clearly, I still have a problem hearing them as they compete with other sounds and effects in the mix. One minute I hear them clearly and then not. If I just treat the vocal as another soundscape though and forget about the words, the track is quite hypnotic and catchy the aforementioned vocal like a gyrating body around a cold steel pole. Some would say that ‘Facade’ sounds like a KILLING JOKE / THE CULT hybrid. Maybe but I don’t hear it, yet. Ok it does in the guitar lines. The guitars are indeed sinewy and blistering, the bass repeated and punched with phrases played a few octaves up every now and then to give some spacious emphasis.
Track five is an excellent rendition of THE PASSION’s track ‘I’m in Love with a German Film Star’. The cover retains the dreamy sway of the original apart from the bass being more rounded and fuller. I’m lying in a slow stream drifting as I stare glassy eyed at the sun flitting in and out of the icing sugar white clouds. Everything about ‘Isolation’ is down low and guttural, it’s like moans coming from a back room. The saxophone is back for this one, again mournful and pensive but strings everything together nicely. ‘Laura’ continues the low feel with the simple cantering bass meandering up and down and around the sinewy guitars and despairing vocal. ‘Claustrophobia’ has my favourite vocal sounds and delivery on the whole album. They are gruff, cavernous, expressive, smoky and dance well around each other. I also like the keyboard trinkets in the background that turn this into a dreamy end of night dance track at a sweaty Goth club.
Final track on this 9-track album is ‘Angel’. Screeches, whelps, shouts and gruffly spat vocals turn this into a not so friendly Cocteau Twins track. The sax is back again, making its final appearance before proceedings end. The bass still a simple but effectively low affair pulling things along comfortably with the snappy snare. The sax duets with vocally sustained warbles towards the end taking things up a notch before they descend to gentle conclusion. In conclusion I’d say this a good album with some interesting use of vocals and instrumentation that give a pleasing caress to the ears. It’s definitely an album for the music library. That’s all I have to say really, not groundbreaking nor dull but pleasingly good.
Tracklist
01. Disappear
02. Shapes
03. Shatter
04. Façade
05. I’m In Love With A German Film Star
06. Isolation
07. Laura
08. Claustrophobia
09. Angel
Line-up
Akiko Samson - Vocals, Bass, Synths, Drum programming
Winter Zora - Vocal, Guitar, Saxophone
Charlie Vela - Additional Percussion on ‘Disappear’, ‘Shapes’, ‘Facade’, ‘Isolation’, ‘Laura’ and ‘Claustrophobia’
Michael Daddona - Additional Percussion on ‘Shatter’
Website
https://www.facebook.com/yamaubamusic
Cover Picture
Rating
Music: 8
Sound: 7
Total: 7.5 / 10
Comments powered by CComment